Wednesday, December 19, 2018

Teaching youth about disabilities is important. Find out how to explain disability to a child and how to talk to your child about disabilities with these five tips.

I was recently asked to write about how you can help be my child's friend, which I thought was an interesting question. However, to me, the answer is quite simple. They should be his friend if they genuinely like him for who he is and think he's fun to be around.

But I know how kids can be...

Lots of kids don't want to hang out with the weird, quirky kids. And oftentimes, a lot of these weird, quirky kids end up being the target of bullying. A sad reality, especially when I'm raising an autistic kid...

So if you really want to help be my child's friend, then you need to talk to your kids about disabilities. Teach them about all types of disabilities, whether it's a visible one or not, and inclusion.

5 Ways to Explain Disability to a Child & Teach Your Child About their Special Needs Peers

Let me say it one more time...teach your kids about disabilities! Because I can guarantee there is a kid or two (or more!) in your child's classroom that likely has a disability.

I know that not all disabilities are visible, which can make things more challenging when explaining disabilities to your children. However, there are lots of ways to teach your kids about all disabilities and the importance of inclusion.

Your kids might not understand things like meltdowns and why their classmate is all of a sudden screaming, crying, and hitting and decide that that classmate is not a worthy friend. But a little understanding and education goes a long way. By teaching your child about disabilities, maybe they'll develop a little empathy and compassion.

But maybe you wonder: where should I begin? How do I start teaching my kids about disabilities?

I'm sharing five simple, yet meaningful ways to talk to your child about disabilities over on CBC Parents and I hope that you find them useful!

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About the Author

Married to her high school sweetheart, Dyan is a Canadian stay-at-home mom to two boys, J and K. She is also a part-time piano teacher. She likes board games, video games, Instant Pots, and reading. To stay connected, subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get a copy of the free Weekly Autism Planner and follow along on social media.